Beyond The System
Chapter 110: My Influence

I set the revelation aside and gathered just enough energy in the dog’s body to start feeling nauseous. Thankfully, I didn’t sense any compulsion to keep going, further confirming my theory about the limitations placed on humans.

I repeated the process a few times to establish a pattern, just to be sure. I was only guessing, but if the system had the dogs registered, despite the terrible naming, it probably tracked their stats, too.

Marcus could tell me later whether they started teaching each other, or if one kept improving. If they didn't, I could just repeat the process five more times on the others.

Satisfied, I pulled out of the body and opened my eyes, only to shut them again and shift straight into my own cultivation. One breath in, then absorption… but I hit my limit just a while after.

I opened my eyes again. It was still dark out, and Marcus was in the middle of some basic movements, but stopped as soon as he noticed me watching.

“Good, I was getting bored,” he said. “Let’s do some sparring. You said it’s faster, right?”

I nodded and stood, glancing around. The space wasn’t cramped, but it wasn’t exactly roomy either. “Should we go down?”

He shook his head. "Going back and forth for safety would be a hassle." Instead, he moved to the circular hatch he’d carved into the ceiling, climbed up, and pushed it open.

“Let’s use this spot. I haven’t finished it, but it should be big enough for some close-quarters combat.”

I followed him up. The room was plain, empty, and completely pitch black.

Marcus fixed that quickly, giving me a decent little shock.

From the palm of his raised hand, glitters of colorless light began to spread, drifting across the space. They floated into every corner and crevice, dozens of small, holiday-esque lights hovering midair, casting a soft, shifting glow.

I looked at Marcus, waiting for an explanation.

He gave a faint smile. “An ability from my old companion.”

“You can share techniques with your tames?” That sounded a lot like my own power.

“Once you advance far enough as a tamer,” he said, “I’ve heard you can connect on a deeper level. If you hit the advanced rank, supposedly the bond grows strong enough to share more than just powers. Not totally sure what that means, though.”

He cracked his neck as he spoke, and I mirrored him, stretching out my back.

“Now that you know I’m not actually a tamer,” I said, “mind explaining how familiars work? I get that they have names, but what else can you see?”

He dropped into a stance, and I followed.

“Depends on the rank. I can see their MP and if I increase the ‘bond,’ I can view an ability and eventually learn it.”

That sounded insane. I wondered if that included non-instinctual techniques. “Let’s go all out and get this over with… maybe don’t use anyth—”

He didn’t let me finish.

Marcus moved, closing the gap in a breath. His feet ignited with a soft pulse of light as he surged forward.

I could track him, but barely. I braced just in time for a hook, but he dipped low, sliding around me like his boots were slick with oil. A fluid, gliding motion, then a kick slammed into the back of my knees, knocking me off balance.

I dropped, but pushed off the floor reflexively, launching myself forward. I twisted in midair just in time to see another pulse of light fire from his palm right where I’d been a second ago.

“You fell for such an obvious feint?” he said, mocking. “You need way more battle experience.”

I grumbled and surged forward, activating Swift Stride. The burst of speed was once again stronger than usual, something I noticed immediately.

Marcus slammed both palms to the ground.

Nothing happened until I took one more step.

The wood beneath me became slick as if friction was erased, and just like that, the delicate balance required to manage Swift Stride completely fell apart.

“CRAP!” I yelped as I lost control and hit the ground hard, sliding forward helplessly.

‘He’s right, you need more experience.’ Wyrem offered, ever helpful, as I found myself face-to-face with a bright palm aimed directly at my chest.

Should’ve learned that shield technique from Synthia.

The strike hit like a piston. Air slammed from my lungs as a jolt of energy rocked through my body, vibrating my Grand Channel and Nexus. I lost control of my power in an instant.

‘Peter?’ Luna asked coolly.

Through the haze, I turned my head and caught a flicker of deep crimson. “Uhg-wa?” I croaked.

‘Tell me when you start a fight,’ she added, with a voice full of thinly veiled hostility, her body coated with an irritated pale red. Yeah… peaceful cultivation interrupted by an earthquake running through my bones? Probably not super helpful.

“This is why those camps are useless,” Marcus muttered, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me up whether I wanted to move or not. “They call it training, but putting amateurs against amateurs just breeds bad habits.”

I gasped for air, trying to steady my breath. “I didn’t use all my abilities,” I defended weakly.

“Bet you’d still fight like crap even if you did,” he scoffed, not with contempt, but with that sharp tone only good teachers carry... Then again, don't know how many I've had to compare it to.

“This damned country,” he said, walking toward the stairs as I followed behind. “They only let a few shine, while refusing to polish anyone with hidden potential. Just more meat for the first charge.”

He didn’t just sound bitter, there was something else in it almost like regret.

“What about other countries?” I asked, unsure what else to say. “Other places. There’s gotta be somewhere else.”

We made our way to our own spots. I sat beside one of the dogs lying off to the side, and as I did, it cracked an eye open, then closed it again as I stroked its head.

“There’s only Voxter and the State of Stars,” Marcus said. “Well… maybe somewhere far off past the Shattered Expanse... There might be something.”

The name caught my interest. “What’s the Shattered Expanse?”

He shrugged. “Just a stretch of dangerous islands, far as I know. No one who goes past the first couple ever comes back.”

I nodded, filing the info away. Definitely buying a world, or continental, map once I got out of here. Whatever I could get anyway. “Back to the grind, then.”

He gave me a strange look. Right. Maybe not a common phrase here. Still, he closed his eyes and resumed cultivation without comment.

We settled into a rhythm: cultivate, spar, repeat.

It didn’t take long before I started catching more of his feints, but Marcus didn’t make it easy. His fighting style shifted constantly. One match he’d come at me like a storm, the next he’d fall back into pure defense, mixing in new tricks just to throw me off.

He had a scary level of control, not over his techniques, though that too, but his body. Something that he learned through surviving the real thing. Not drills or youth matches. Actual field experience.

I had some for sure, but I imagine no where near his.

He relied on two main techniques, but he’d refined them so much they felt like extensions of his body. Each could split into unique applications, but they all funneled into two core effects.

The first was that pulse of light, innocent-looking at first, but when he ramped it up, it vibrated through the air with a low hum like it could split wood. I found out during one match, it could.

The other technique seemed to reduce friction, letting Marcus glide across the floor like he was skating.

Sometimes he’d combine the two, light pulses and glide, making him feel like a ghost slipping just out of reach, with a flash of light marking the moment right before impact.

And the whole time? He wouldn’t stop running his mouth.

“Can’t believe you’re still falling for that,” he muttered after dodging one of my counters. “You’re too rash.”

I tried to steady my breathing, but he was already circling again.

“If someone charges you,” he went on, “prep’s great, but don’t blind yourself with it. Defending and waiting are often good strategies, but learn to read the fight more.”

Despite the tone, it didn’t feel like he was mocking me. There was a rhythm to his feedback, sharp jabs when I messed up, real advice tucked in behind the smirk.

Sometimes, his comments shifted from me to the state. “This is why the damn camps fail people.”

And… I couldn’t even argue. He was right. Half the things I’d learned at camp came from getting beaten or nearly killed. There weren’t any drills or guided sparring. Just rules, brutal mismatches, and consequences. Just pure survival.

Still… if this were a real death match, and he used all his companions? What would the result be?

He hadn’t even used Spiritual Objects yet meaning he probably hadn’t bonded enough with his newest beasts.

The dogs had started to move around on their own too. Sniffing, nipping, and occasionally roughhousing. Sometimes one would come over just for attention, as if on rotation.

‘Hey, I think I finished Body Refinement!’ Luna suddenly called out.

But I was curious due to my own recent experience. ‘That’s good news. But can you try something?’

‘Yeah, what?’

‘Can you try purification again?’ I asked. 

She was going to be my test. Luna had already absorbed every type of energy but one, so in theory, she should be able to progress further. Then again, she wasn’t human and didn’t share my limitations, so maybe not.

A few minutes passed and then two things happened at once.

First, the smell hit. Me and the poor dogs all recoiled at the sudden stench in the air. Marcus had successfully purified his body with Natural Force.

At the same time, Luna’s surface darkened completely black, before a thin outer layer peeled away, revealing her usual blue beneath. ‘I, um… I’m done,’ she said.

I’d expected it, but still I stared.

Even Wyrem sounded stunned. ‘How strong will your body become if you continue? M–my apprentice is truly magnificent! Wait until I br—’ He cut himself off, but I didn’t press.

Luna was already handling that situation.

‘I guess just focus on building your structures now,’ I told her. ‘You’ll probably overpower me soon enough.’

‘I already do.’ Deadpan with zero hesitation.

‘She is my student. You’re just a home. Of course she is stronger.’ Wyrem chimed in.

Luna lit up. Apparently, Wyrem had mastered the balance between bragging and flattery, and she was all for it.

I ignored them both.

“System,” Marcus called out, glancing my way. “You said after this I can increase my stats, right?”

I nodded, still pinching my nose. “Yeah. But I’d finish your purification first. And maybe… get clean.”

“Sure, jus—” He paused, squinting at something. “That’s odd.”

Curiosity sparked. I leaned in, already half-expecting it had something to do with the dogs.

“What’s up?”

“They… Why do they have two MP numbers?”

My heart skipped. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” he replied, pointing at the pups now play-fighting across the floor. “Five of them have two different MP values now.”

“Not more?” I asked, confused.

“No, Peter.” He looked at me, genuinely astonished. Then, of course, he defaulted to the teasing tone I was still getting used to. “Am I speaking a different language?”

*Ahem.* I cleared my throat, mildly embarrassed. “Okay, okay. Try getting them to use a skill. See if they can cast from both bars.”

One of the dogs stood immediately, posture sharp and alert, and after a brief stillness, it turned toward the window and I froze.

It began forming a Spiritual Object, same as before. A speck of energy, slowly growing as it condensed. But this time… it shimmered with cold.

It pulled warmth from the air, crystallizing it.

An icicle, pale blue, floating for just a moment before launching through the open window with a sharp crack.

That second MP bar.

I understood immediately. The influence I had on the hound.

It had absorbed Water Force.